Escalating
by zootycoon346
Summary: Thinking back, it was just a gemstone. But Jon got so angry, seeking revenge, and I got wound up in it too. And now where are we? Well, we're not in Riverwood anymore ... Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

I don't actually HAVE Skyrim, only played it at my BFFs house a few times. Bet I didn't capture 'the aspect' at all.

I skip a stone across the still pool. The intrusion of the pebble sends panicked ripples fleeing to the bank. Tracing back the ripples to their origin, I see that the pebble has sunk an impressive distance away; six metres at the most.

"Beat that!" I grin, stepping backwards as Jon takes my place. His weather tanned fingers fumble with a pebble.

His blue eyes narrow with concentration, brow furrowing seriously. His black hair falls in waves over his forehead. Then he draws his arm back and hurls the stone into the water. Once, twice, four times, six times, *nine times* the entirely unremarkable stone hops across the small pool, finally coming to a relieved halt in the deeper parts. My mouth drops.

"Ansa? You okay? You looked like an Argonian for a second," says Jon worriedly. I just smile back.

"You're so perfect," I say happily, "You beat me."

Leaning in, I kiss him on the cheek lightly. He slowly leans in as well.

"Nobody beats me ..."

Suddenly, an eruption interrupts us, a mighty splash that is followed by a series of spine-chilling scuttling noises. I inhale, stumbling backwards.

A mudcrab, a large one, rears up at us from the shallows, swiping at us with ginormous pincers. Its eyes blaze with anger. It's demented, I realize, it's contracted dementia! It slices at my leg. Pain tears through my calf and I only just stifle a scream. Blood begins to well onto the pebbles I lie on.

"Ansa!" yells Jon.

Weakly, I hold up my hand to show him that I'm alright. I can tell he's torn; comfort me or fight off the beast? I can't wait for him to decide; the agony is burning me up. I look around for some substance to staunch the bleeding. Angry shouts and aggressive clicking from Jon and the mudcrab tell me they're fighting. Mudcrabs are resilient. And they don't back down unless you stray too far from the waters edge.

"No, Jon," I manage to get out to my boyfriend, "Don't fight ... there's no-"

A triumphant holler cuts off my warning. Jon rushes back towards me, a dead mudcrab hanging from his right hand by one claw, victory vigouring his body language. But the smile ends up as dead as the mudcrab when he sees the gash splitting open my left calf. I try to blink back tears so as not to upset him but I'm as unsuccessful as that crab. The crab, the crab. I've never taken down a mudcrab before. A group of them once attacked me viciously when I was too absent minded whilst swimming in the river. That's how Jon and I met; he had been fishing nearby and fought off the whole pack of them. Even back then, when I'd barely seen him for two minutes, I'd thought him beautiful. Obviously he thought I was too.

"I'm sorry, Ansa ... oh my, it's so_deep_ ... for a mudcrab, I mean," he adds hastily. I don't even care anymore.

"I'm tired," I groan, "Let's go back to ... Riverwood."

He extends a hand to me, then shakes his head and just scoops me up in his arms.

"We're already in Riverwood," he then points out.

He's about to leave go of the mudcrab kill but I stop him in time. Gingerly, I get off and pick it up.

"We can harvest it, Jon. And -"

Out onto the ground falls a stone. It's so random that it pulls a nervous giggle from me, which quickly turns into a gasp as I look more closely at its surface.

"It's a gemstone!" I cry out in joy, "It's huge!"

It's so _rare _for something so precious to come from a mudcrab! Jon swoops in and admires it.

"We're rich!" he shouts, lit up with happiness.

We're not even sure what kind of gemstone it is, only that we are sovery wealthy!

All of a sudden, a shadow appears behind me. I'm about to turn around when pain explodes in the back of my head,a multitude of colours. I topple to the ground, unconscious.

**If you like it, can you FAV? FOLLOW? Or post a REVIEW? Doesn't have to be long. PLEASE!?


	2. Chapter 2

'Kay, guys, the update's here now. Hope you like it! You don't know how *long* it takes to write some of this stuff ... actually you probably do. Sorry.

Dull throbbing arouses me. As soon as I move in the slightest, pain shockwaves from my calf and doubles me over. Grimacing, I crack open my bleary eyes. Light seeps through my heavy eyelids, so bright contrasting to the darkness I've been previously immersed in that I have to fight the urge to close them again. I'm quick to take in my surroundings. I lie on a bed, my bed, my torso and head elevated as I prop myself up on my elbows. My left leg is at an unnaturally straight angle on top of the blankets that cover my body, the wound inflicted by the mudcrab now bound tightly, with sprigs of remedial herbs poking out from the binding. I tilt my head a few degrees to the right for my eyes to fall upon Jon. His head rests on the rough mattress, his hand curled a little, a few inches from mine. His other hand cushions his head, and I see with a soft smile that he's asleep. As much as I don't want to awaken him, I _have _to understand what just happened.

"Jon," I say, running a hand through his dark hair, "Jon, wake up."

Sleepily, he stirs and his eyelids flutter open.

"A-Ansa?" he stammers, "Ah! You're awake."

"You weren't," I accuse him. He visibly blushes.

"Whatever," he says gruffly.

This somehow triggers my memory. I clutch the back of my head automatically.

"Jon ... what ... just happened?"

"Not 'just' ... it was six hours ago. We ... we got attacked. I'm so stupid. We were being watched by thieves. They ... I think they would have killed you if I hadn't yelled for help. Argh, there were so many of them! I'm sure I could have taken them down if it was just a few, but ... and we live in Riverwood! I should have been more cautious, there are so many of the bastards around here," he ends up yelling, and tearing at his hair. I'm beside myself with horror.

"Jon! Jon, stop, stop it! I'm alright, you're alright, so what's the big ... ah."

I realize what's wrong.

"What did they steal?" I ask in a gentler tone.

"The gemstone," he replies. He is doing his utmost best to rid his face of expression.

"Wha-? You're making all this fuss over a gemstone?" I snort.

"Ansa."

He gives me a look. It's so full of sadness, guilt and knowing that I cannot look him in the eye.

"Ansa."

"Well?" I say innocently, "What is it?"

"It was an emerald. A flawless emerald."


End file.
